


Run Away

by ethereal_enthusiast



Category: Gilmore Girls, Supernatural
Genre: Hurt Sam Winchester, Jealous Castiel (Supernatural), Jealous Sam Winchester, M/M, Requited Unrequited Love, Supportive Dean Winchester, Supportive Jess, Understanding Jess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26273098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethereal_enthusiast/pseuds/ethereal_enthusiast
Summary: Au where Sam ran to Stars Hollow as a kid and called himself Dean Forester. Years later, he returns after he can no longer handle staying with Cas and Dean. While there, he connects with Jess and must confess to his lies from when he was young. Meanwhile, Dean and Cas search for Sam and Cas comes to understand some of his own feelings.
Relationships: Castiel/Sam Winchester, Dean Forester/Jess Mariano, Sam Winchester/ Jess Mariano
Comments: 9
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've only seen up to season 2 of Gilmore Girls and this is probably a little ooc and terrible, but it's kinda became my comfort fic. I add to it whenever I feel sad and have no update schedule, but I hope someone else can enjoy it.

Sam's jaw clenched as he watched Castiel and Dean. They were just talking in the motel room, but Cas was leaning much closer than necessary and they kept sharing these adoring looks. Sam had suspected there was something more between his brother and the angel for a long time. He wouldn't let his own feelings get in the way of his brother's happiness, but it still hurt. It hurt to know that he was the evil of the two siblings and that Cas would probably never see him as anything else and it hurt to know that he'd never stop loving Dean's angel. It didn't matter what he did. Sam couldn't change what was in his blood and he'd always want what he couldn't have.

It didn't matter, of course. Since he'd met Cas he knew he'd never have the kind of bond that Dean and Cas shared. It was something he'd always craved, but he could accept his fate. He figured it was better to be alone than to gain his happiness by causing someone else pain. That didn't numb the pain he felt when Cas answered Dean's call immediately after Sam had spent the past month calling for the angel. It still felt like a knife had been brutally shoved into his chest. The angel hadn't known that he was twisting that knife as he explained the strength of his bond with Dean once again.

That's when he made his decision. He couldn't handle watching his brother and Cas grow closer each day. Especially knowing what the future held for himself. He wouldn't force Dean and Castiel to be around his evil. There was no way they would want him around after all he'd done and all he would do someday. One day, Dean and Castiel would be happy together. The world will be safe and they'll have a happy life with a family. They would be happy without Sam. Besides, Sam had grown to love the angel in a way the angel could never love him and he accepted this. He probably deserved to live with the pain of watching the man he loved fall in love with his brother, but it hurt too much. He would leave. They didn't need him anyways.

A few hours passed and Dean had fallen asleep. Cas didn't require sleep, but he seemed to be focused on Dean, so hopefully Sam would be able pack his bag in silence. 

He finished packing quickly and scrawled a note on a scrap piece of paper before trying to fold it as quietly as he could and placing it on the table beside the door. He turned for one last look at the two people he loved most and then froze. Still between the two beds sat Castiel, but his eyes were no longer fixed on Dean. Instead, he was staring at Sam. 

Not knowing what to do, Sam clenched his jaw and forced himself to meet the angel's gaze. Cas usually wore a blank expression, but at that moment, it was full of emotion. Sam could easily see confusion and shock, but he thought Cas just looked hurt and sad. Something about his eyes was twisting Sam into knots and prodding his heart with pangs of guilt, sorrow, and regret. Unable to hold Cas' gaze, Sam looked at the ground. 

He stood there silently for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and turned back to the door. His hand had barely touched the handle when Cas finally spoke.

"Sam?" Cas' voice was quiet and, if he hadn't been expecting it, Sam might have missed the word. He could sense the confusion in Castiel's voice and knew that the angel was fast approaching panic. This would hurt all three of them, but it was for the best. 

Sam turned and met Castiel's eyes. He knew the angel would be able to see the pain and sorrow held in his own eyes, but it no longer mattered. 

"Goodbye, Castiel," he muttered, praying the angel heard him and didn't see the tears he was hiding. 

Without another word, Sam left the room and ignored Cas calling his name from inside the room. Eventually Dean's voice joined in. It was followed by the sound of a door slamming and Sam knew his brother had figured it out. He could hear Dean coming down the hall towards him. It didn't matter, Sam silently picked the lock of one of the empty rooms and hid inside while he waited for Dean to move on. 

The next morning, Sam got on a bus and left for the next city. He spent the time between cities studying a map and planning his route. When he left, they'd been making their way east, so he'd make his way south and hope no one would find him. By the time the bus stopped for a short break, Sam had his route planned out. He didn't know what he'd do, but he knew where he'd go.

The second half of the drive was spent thinking about what he'd do once he reached his destination and wondering what Dean and Cas were doing. The more he thought, the more Sam found himself missing the only family he had. However, he knew it didn't matter. He was an abomination, a monster, and monsters don't get a family. 

When he made it to the next city, Sam rented a car under a fake name. He immediately left and spent the next four days driving. He took as few and as short breaks as possible and had destroyed his phone right after renting the car. Once or twice he wondered if he'd taken excessive precautions, but knowing Dean, he realized it was unlikely. Dean and Cas probably wouldn't give up searching for him for another four or five months. Then they'd realize that they don't actually want Sam with them and leave him be. This was the moment that he dreaded the most.

It was almost 9:00 am on a Wednesday when he finally made it to his chosen destination and checked into the inn. The place he'd chosen was a little town called Stars Hollow. It had little to no supernatural activity, a small population, and almost no frequent travellers. The chances of any hunters or anyone who would recognize him seeing him there were low, which made it the perfect town to hide in. 

When he was a teenager, he'd spent a couple years in Stars Hollow after running away from his dad and Dean. A new family in town took him in as their temporary son and registered him in school under their name. Sam had never told Dean about this time in his life. There was no way they would find him. Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

Cas watched silently as Sam shoved his belongings into his bag. It looked like he was planning to leave, but that didn't make sense. Sam wouldn't leave them. He had nowhere else to go. Nonetheless, it was painful to think about Sam leaving. 

At first, Cas had only seen him as Dean's younger brother and the boy with demon blood, but he'd grown to love Sam as so much more. As he spent more time with the brothers, he'd realized that Sam was good and kind and, although he often made mistakes, he always tried to do the right thing. Before he knew it, Sam had become one of his only friends. Soon enough, his love for Sam was equal to his affection for Dean. The special bond he shared with Dean didn't really mean anything. He would do anything for either of them.

Eventually, his affections for Sam began to change. He'd want to spend time with both of the brothers, but it wasn't the same. He didn't feel the urge to run his fingers through Dean's hair or to press his lips against Dean's skin. Watching Dean sleep didn't cause his heart to race and he never had to resist the temptation to climb under the blankets. 

When Cas realized that his feelings for Sam were not typical friendly affections, he began pulling away. It wasn't intentional, he just didn't know how to approach the situation, so he avoided it. 

This is probably why it hurt so much when he realized Sam was standing at the door. His eyes widened as Sam bent down and placed a piece of paper on the table. Cas stubbornly held on to the hope that there was another explanation, but then Sam looked up and met his eyes and Cas knew something was wrong.

Sam's eyes were filled with pain, sorrow, and regret. It was an expression Cas had only ever seen right before Sam did something he knew would hurt someone. He turned back to the door and reached for the handle.

"Sam?" Cas barely realized he'd spoken until Sam turned and met his eyes once again. Cas saw his jaw clench as he fought back tears.

Sam's eyes drifted towards the ground and he turned around and reached for the door. "Goodbye, Castiel."

When Sam picked up his bag and opened the door, Cas finally realized that Sam was actually leaving. He repeated Sam's name in a desperate hope that Sam would turn around and come back to them. He continued repeating the name as Sam continued to walk away. He wanted to follow Sam, but his body wouldn't move. At some point, his yelling had woken Dean and Dean had immediately ran out the door, but Cas still couldn't move. 

At some point, Dean returned without Sam. Cas was still in shock at the time and didn't realize Dean had returned until Dean started screaming and punching the wall. Cas didn't try to stop him. Dean needed to release some of his anger and Cas needed to think. 

Cas soon found his attention drifting to the spot where he last saw Sam and he began going over the memory in his head. Once he got past the pain of the moment, he was able to focus on the details. Sam's bag was full with everything he owned, but he didn't take many weapons. Wherever he was going, he wasn't planning on hunting. He had his phone when he left, but would probably destroy it. However, tracking his phone number would be a good place to start. 

Cas was trying to figure out how they could find Sam when his eyes settled on the paper Sam had left. He immediately made a beeline for the table. After unfolding the paper, Cas realized it was a note addressed to him and Dean. 

"Dean," Cas said in a failed attempt to get Dean's attention. "Dean," he repeated loudly. This time, Dean stopped and turned to him angrily.

"What?" Dean had yelled the word, but Cas ignored the volume and held up the note. 

It took him a moment to figure out what Cas was trying to say, but once the realization had settled in, Dean hurried to Cas' side. He looked over the angel's shoulder and began reading the note.

"Dear Dean and Cas,

I realize my departure will cause us all pain, but I believe it's for the best. I believe staying would only put you both in danger. I'm going somewhere safe. It's unlikely that any of our enemies will find me there. What I am is evil, but we've already learned that my death would not solve anything so hopefully my disappearance will. Dean, you've spent your entire life looking after me. You don't need to worry anymore. Please try to enjoy your life and don't bother looking for me," Dean paused and clenched his jaw, trying to contain his anger and holding back tears. "What are you thinking, Sammy?"

Dean turned away and Cas continued reading, "because you won't find me. I know I've been holding you back. I'm out of the way now, so don't worry. Cas, I know you hate me because I'm evil. I also know I've been holding you back from pursuing a relationship with Dean. Now that I'm not in your way, please take care of him. However, before you run away into the sunset or whatever, I need you to know something. Cas, I love you. In fact, I think I've loved you since the day we met. You have no idea how much it hurt to know you'll never feel the same. Hopefully one day, I'll be able to move on and will return to you both. Until that day comes, I hope you understand why I left. I'm sorry. 

Sam W." 

Cas dropped the paper and turned to Dean. "Why does my chest hurt?"

Dean smiled sadly, but didn't answer the question. "He left because of us. He thought we were in a relationship so he left. We… I hurt him and drove him away. I should have seen the signs and now he's left again. It's just like last time"

Something about Dean's last statement caused Cas to freeze. "Dean," Cas began cautiously, "did something like this happen some time before Sam left for Stanford?" 

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Sam was sixteen at the time. He and dad got in another of their fights and he left. He left us a note saying that he didn't belong in this life and he'd only put us in danger. He came back a couple years later with no explanation as to where he'd been. I still have no idea what he did during that time."

Cas nodded as he picked the note up off the ground. After a moment of silence, he said, "we have to find him." 

Dean nodded,"yeah, ok. I'll track his number, you see if you can find anything about where he might go." 

Cas agreed and they got to work immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam stepped tentatively out the door to his room. Making the decision to return to Stars Hollow had been easy, but now he had to face the people he'd left behind. Hopefully he'd be able to walk to Luke's diner without being recognized, but he knew it was unlikely. 

He hurriedly left the inn and followed the familiar roads to Luke's diner. As he walked, he kept his head down and avoided making eye contact with anyone. Despite this, he still picked up bits of familiar conversations and recognized some voices. There were a few times he recognized someone by the clothes they wore and had to stop himself from greeting them. Being back in Stars Hollow felt surreal. Somehow everything and everyone had clearly changed and yet the town was exactly the same as it had been when he left. 

Ms. Patty was older, but she was still wearing ridiculously tacky clothes, gossiping, and flirting with every guy in sight. Sam was honestly just grateful she didn't spot him. 

He passed a 27 year old Lang being yelled at by her mother. She had a husband and child with her now, but was still cowering under her mother's intense gaze.

It was no surprise when he arrived at the diner and was immediately greeted by the sight of Rory and Lorelei sitting at their usual table. Rory looked older and was clearly dressed for some sort of high profile job, but she was still as captivating as she was when he first fell in love with her. Sam remembered how heartbroken he was when they broke up. He guessed most of the town assumed that's why he left, which would be a lie. The break up had hurt, but didn't surprise him. In fact, it had been a bit of a relief. Rory was still beautiful and captivating, but he didn't feel the same love for her that he once did. 

Rory was reading a book while her mother and Luke shared a familiar banter. However, there was something different about the banter. It was still filled with sarcastic taunts and witty retorts, but there was a new friendliness. Sam guessed that the two had finally gotten together sometime after he left. 

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and went to sit at one of the open tables near the far wall. He kept his head down, but could feel the curious gazes of a few people. He knew they were trying to figure out who he was. It was rare for people to come to town unless they had friends or family in the area. People wanted to know if he was among the town's rare visitors or who he was there to see. 

It didn't take long for Luke to come to Sam's table with a menu in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. He casually tossed the menu in front of Sam and told him to let him know when he was ready to order. 

Sam clenched his jaw in determination and looked up at Luke, who had turned towards Lorelei and Rory. "Can I just get a coffee to start?" Sam saw Luke freeze and recognized his expression as one reserved for thinking. Eventually, he turned around, almost spilling the coffee in the process and met Sam's eyes. 

In a moment, Luke's confusion turned to shock and he dropped the pot of coffee. The sound of glass shattering on the floor drew the attention of the entire diner and soon everyone was staring at Sam. Now that he wasn't looking at the ground, people began to recognize him. 

The room was silent, everyone waiting for someone else to speak first. In the end, it was Rory who spoke first. She had looked up from her book when the pot hit the floor and was staring at Sam with the same surprise as her mother and Luke.

"Dean?" Rory placed her book on the table and stood up. 

Sam looked at her and smiled, "hi, Rory. Sorry I haven't kept in contact. Life got a little crazy."

Luke surprised Sam when he shook his head and took a step back. "This isn't possible," he muttered, "this can't be real." 

Rory cautiously approached Sam and reached forward to touch his cheek as if making sure he was alive. "Dean, you seriously owe us all an explanation. Last time we saw you was years ago. You left without a word. Years later, we hear that you died through a news story. Only, the name they gave was Sam Winchester. We mourned for you."

Sam smiled softly, "yeah… can I tell everyone at the town meeting tomorrow?"

Rory nodded before sitting back down. She picked up her book to read, but it was obvious that her mind wasn't focused on the story. Everyone else went back to what they were doing, but the atmosphere was tense and awkward. Luke poured Sam a cup of coffee, which he quickly finished before leaving the diner and going straight to the Foresters' house. Luckily, they never moved. Clara was in her last year of high school, so she still lived at home. They were just as shocked to see him as the people in the diner had been. After a brief conversation, they let him in and agreed to save any questions for the town meeting. 

Sam spent the next two days awkwardly trying to catch up with old friends and discreetly setting up protection spells and demon traps around the town. Apparently, the entire town believed he died a few years ago. No one was really sure how he'd died, just that he did. 

Two hours before the town meeting, he walked into Luke's diner. It was mostly empty this time. There was a couple drinking coffee at a table beside the window and Lorelei was talking to Luke at the counter, but he didn't see anyone else. He took a seat at one of the smallest tables after asking Luke for a hot chocolate. Luke was efficient as ever and within minutes there was a hot chocolate sitting in front of Sam. He thanked Luke before turning his attention to one of the few books he'd taken from the motel room where he left Dean and Cas. It was mostly in Latin and focused on demons and demon blood. Even though he wasn't hunting, Sam decided to see if he could learn anything new about what he was and the thing that made him evil. 

He was so focused on the book that he didn't notice his old rival sitting across from him. "So… Dean Forester's back from the dead, huh?"

Sam jumped at the familiar taunt in Jess' voice and rushed to close his book, nearly spilling his drink in the process. Once he'd recovered, he looked up and met the amused eyes of the boy he'd once hated. Looking at the boy now, he couldn't find the fire that fueled their rivalry. "Jess…"

"You know, it was childish to leave just because of a broken heart." 

Sam sighed, "that's not why I left."

Jess raised his eyebrow mockingly. "No? Because no one could think of any other reason for your sudden disappearance. I mean, I get it. Rory chose me, but seriously, if I could handle losing her, I don't see why you couldn't." Sam clenched his jaw and made a move to leave, but Jess continued. "You know, Forester, everyone else mourned you, but I didn't. I don't know if I thought you deserved what you got or if I didn't believe your stunt, but I just didn't mourn for you. Now that I see you again, I'm realizing that the life you've got now is probably worse than whatever death had in store for you. I mean seriously, man, you look like crap."

"Shut up!" Sam shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "You know nothing about me or my life. If you want an explanation, come to the town meeting tonight. If you just want to harass me, don't bother. Trust me, nothing you do can hold a candle to the hell that I've experienced." Having no interest in hearing Jess' response or seeing the looks that he knew the other customers were sending him, Sam left the diner.

In his rush to leave, Sam forgot his book on the table. After Sam was out of sight, Jess shrugged and left for his home, taking the book with him. He'd go to the town meeting, but only because he wanted to know what could possibly have changed Dean Forester to this extent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot to establish where exactly this separates from canon, so I'm gonna do that now. At this point, you can kind of imagine it wherever you like, but I imagine that most of season seven never happened. Cas still swallowed the souls from purgatory, but when he returned them, the leviathans returned with the rest. The wall came down in Sam's kind and the hallucinations happened, but when Cas took away his pain, it didn't affect Cas' mind like it did in canon. All that happened was that Cas saw what Sam went through and was able to empathize with him. Because of what he'd done to heaven, Cas was no longer welcome and started travelling and hunting with Sam and Dean. Also, Balthazar and Gabriel are both alive and Sam, Dean, and Cas know it.

After leaving the diner, Sam took a walk around town. He still had an hour before the town meeting and he was not in the mood to go back and deal with Jess. Without thinking about where he was going, his feet carried him to the nearest demon trap. He made sure it was safely in place before going to check the next piece of protection he'd set. He was about half done when he looked at the time and remembered the town meeting. He made it there in less than ten minutes and took a spot in the back where people were less likely to notice him. It wouldn’t matter, of course. He'd promised to tell the truth and he'd keep that promise. Well, sort of.

The town meeting went by quicker and smoother than Sam remembered. Sam's best guess was that it only lasted for thirty minutes, but that seemed too short. Taylor was just about to close the meeting when Luke stood, claiming there was one more thing that needed to be addressed. Privately, Sam thought it may be the first time Luke contributed something sort of useful. It was also the first time he actually wanted to leave a town meeting. Instead, he looked down and focused on a spot of dirt on the floor.

When Sam looked up, Luke and most of the room was staring at him expectantly. Luke narrowed his eyes and muttered, "the truth, Dean," before sitting down. 

Sam took a deep breath and stood up straight. When he spoke, his voice was steady, "honestly, I doubt any of you will find it easy to believe the truth, but I'll try not to leave out too many important details. First of all, my name's not Dean Forester. The Forester's can confirm some of this if you don't believe me. My real name is Sam Winchester. When I was a baby, my mother died in a fire. The cops wouldn't believe it, but she was murdered. My dad became obsessed with finding her killer, so we grew up without a real home. We would jump from city to city, school to school, never staying in the same place for more than a month. My father was rarely home, so I was raised by my brother, Dean Winchester. When I was maybe fifteen or sixteen, I got in a fight with my dad and ran away. I travelled by bus for a while and eventually met the Foresters. I refused to tell them anything except that my name was Dean. They took me in anyway. A few months later, the family moved here and I moved with them." Sam paused and looked around the room. Most people looked confused, some were looking at him with pity, and just about everyone looked shocked. 

Sam opened his mouth to continue, but Lorelei decided her question couldn't wait until the end. "Hang on," she said, standing up her hand to say 'stop', "why 'Dean'? Why would you use your brother's name?" 

Sam sighed, "my dad and brother were good at finding people, the best. If I used the name 'Sam', they'd have found me in a week, any other name and it might have taken a month. 'Dean' was the only name they wouldn't think to look for. Plus, it allowed me to hold on to a little piece of my past." 

Lorelei nodded and sat down as Lane stood up. She glared at Sam as she spoke, "ok, great. So you had a rough childhood. You found a family here, you seemed happy enough, so why did you leave? Not only that, why didn't you tell anyone where you were going or at least say goodbye?"

Sam smiled softly, but the smile faded as he spoke, "yeah, I, um, I was happy here. I was really happy, actually, but it couldn't have lasted. You see, my dad, he… um, well he made a lot of enemies while looking for my mom's killer. I guess those enemies decided to follow me or something and I didn't know until it was almost too late. The night before I left, I got a message from a… a reliable source that claimed I was in danger and by staying here, I was putting everyone else in danger. So, I left. I went back to my dad and brother. Of course, I still wanted out. That's why I left for Stanford after graduating high school. I got a scholarship and began studying law. I thought I'd get a normal life until Dean showed up telling me my father had disappeared. I refused to help at first. Then the guy who killed my mom came back and killed my girlfriend. I saw her burn. After that, I couldn't go back to school. So I joined my brother in the search for our dad. We found both him and the guy who killed my mom. The guy attacked us and we… we ended up killing him. My brother almost died and my dad died in the process. After all that was over, my brother and I were left to fend for ourselves. I couldn't return to law school after everything that had happened and my brother had nowhere to go. We started jumping from city to city, trying to survive. Then my brother met Cas. I don't know, but I think they're dating. Cas isn't super fond of me and I just hold them both back, so I left. Now I'm back here. If you'd rather I leave, I'd understand." 

This time, Rory stood up to speak, "De - Sam, we aren't going to force you out yet, but there's a few things I'm still unclear on," Sam nodded for her to continue, "what about everything I read in the paper? About your death and the whole fugitive thing?"

Sam chuckled dryly and ran his fingers through his hair, "yeah, about that… my brother and I are both, erm… legally dead?" He looked at the confused faces and continued, "we were framed for more than a few murders by those guys that our dad pissed off and were arrested. Then, the guys who framed us decided jail wasn't good enough and, um… blew up the police station…" his eyebrows drew closer together and he clenched his jaw, "we were the only ones to get out in time. After that, there was no way anyone would prove our innocence, so we ran. Our bodies were never found, so the government decided we died. I know it doesn't sound like the truth, but I swear, neither of us have ever hurt someone intentionally. We just kept ending up in unfortunate circumstances. Oh! And, uh, none of you need to worry about getting caught in the crossfire now. We solved all the problems with people who wanted us dead," mentally, Sam added, "now we only need to worry about angels, demons, ghosts, and other monsters." He didn't say it out loud, of course. 

Sam looked around the room and relaxed. Somehow, most of the people seemed to believe his story and were considering letting him stay. After a brief discussion, the people came to the agreement that Sam would be allowed to stay as long as he kept the rest of the town updated on anything that could be a threat to them.


	5. Chapter 5

Jess entered his room in a daze. What Dean - Sam - had said seemed crazy, but he, just like the rest of the town, couldn't help but believe the story. Somehow, Jess just knew that it was mostly the truth. If anything, Sam seemed to be hiding parts of the story. If there was more, Jess wasn't sure he wanted to know. Sam's life sounded crazy enough as it was. What more could there be?

The more he thought about everything, the more things seemed to fall into place. There were pieces missing, sure, but Sam was much less a mystery than before. 

Still, Jess found the whole thing funny and a little sad. Back when Sam was still Dean, Jess thought he had him all figured out. Turns out, he'd only figured out Dean Forester: the simple white boy with a perfect family, the ideal girlfriend, and average grades. Sam Winchester was a completely different person. 

There were times back when he was doing the whole rival thing with Dean where he knew there was more to the guy. He ignored it, but there were times where Dean became rigid at the slightest rustle in the bushes or his eyes hardened at the thought of a fight. If he really thought about it, Jess could remember times where Dean reached for a weapon he didn't have. These were the obvious moments when Sam Winchester would peek through. Really, it's amazing Jess never caused him to lose control completely. A guy like Sam could've killed Jess. 

Once he got over the shocking realization that he'd been playing with fire, Jess began to realize something else. Something that made his stomach twist in knots. All that time he spent tormenting Dean, he was actually tormenting Sam. Sam, a boy who somehow reminded him of himself. He hadn't known the truth about Sam's past, but it didn't matter. If he'd have been looking, he would've seen the truth. Sam was just a hurt and broken boy. From a young age, Sam had known more pain than Jess could even imagine. After leaving Stars Hollow, life had only gotten worse for the boy Jess enjoyed tormenting. 

Really, Sam probably doesn't even remember what Jess did. Sam was right, nothing Jess did to him could even compare to the hell Sam had lived through. Plus, if Jess' suspicions were correct, there was more to Sam's story and it probably wasn't good. The hell Sam told the town about was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Jess paced a few times before dropping onto his bed. As he hit the bed, his hand landed on something hard. He lifted his head to look at the object and found the book De - Sam had left behind. Picked it up, he took some time to inspect the cover. It looked old and worn. There was no title or author that he could see. The cover itself seemed to be made of leather, but it was worn. The pages were yellow and looked ready to fall out at any moment. If he were to take a guess, Jess would probably think the book was around a century old at least, but that didn't seem possible. 

After he was done inspecting the cover, Jess gently opened the book to a random page. Before that evening, Jess had always thought he was much smarter than Sam. Then he wasn't so sure. After all, Sam had gotten a scholarship to Stanford. He had been on his way to law school. He was going to become a lawyer. After opening that book, he was certain he wasn't smarter than Sam. The book was in a language that Jess could barely recognize, much less read. In some spots, Sam had made notes in the sam language. The language looked like some combination of English, French, Spanish, and something else. It took a few minutes for Jess to figure out what it was, but when he did he could barely believe it. The book was in Latin. Latin. Sam Winchester was somehow fluent in a dead language.

The revelation caused him to close the book and stumble out of his room, down the stairs, and into the diner. Luke, Lorelei, and Rory were sitting around one of the tables, probably discussing the town meeting. From what he could make out of their conversation, they were discussing Sam's story. Luke, as usually, seemed skeptical. He'd never liked Sam much when he was still Dean, he probably assumed the kid was either lying or bad news. Jess had a feeling both of those held at least a small amount of truth. Sam probably was bad news. He seemed like the type that would run into trouble wherever he went. Then again, Jess was also that type of guy. Jess didn't think Sam told the complete truth either, but he really couldn't blame him. A man usually wouldn't give a story like Sam's unless it was at least mostly true. Jess didn't think the parts left out would be too important. 

Lorelei and Rory seemed like they didn't know what to think. They'd both been closer with Sam when he was still known as Dean and this new information probably seemed at least a little impossible. Dean was a sweet - if not a slightly naive - kid. Sam Winchester seemed to be so far from what Dean Dean Forester had been that it was hard to see them as one person. Most people were probably thinking that Dean was just an act or that Sam is just hardened by his pain and Dean is still in there somewhere. Jess didn't think either were quite right. Dean and Sam were the same person and always had been. Dean was just Sam repressing certain pieces of himself and working with what was left. 

Seeing their reactions, Jess began to question why he didn't feel the same. Maybe he'd just always suspected there was more to Dean Forester. He'd always felt a strange attraction to Dean, but Dean was with and a guy, so Jess just assumed he was jealous. Secretly, he thinks he always saw how much Dean was hurting. It was an intuition that he just ignored because it didn't make sense. Now it did.

"Jess?" Jess was snapped out of his very long train of thought by Rory, "Do you want to come sit down?"

Jess stared at her for a moment before nodding and taking the seat between Roryand Luke, "Uh, yeah. Thanks."

"What's that?"

Jess froze at Rory's question before looking where she was pointing. He lifted up the book at met her eyes, "This?" Rory nodded, "this is the book Dean - uh, I mean, Sam - was reading earlier. He forgot it here, so I took it to my room for safe keeping. After tonight, I couldn't help but open it in Hope's of learning more about Sam." He handed the book to Rory, "Open it up. Tell me what you see." 

Rory did as he said at stared at it in shock for a few seconds. Lorelei got sick of waiting and looked over Rory's shoulder. 

"What language is that? Greek?"

Rory shook her head and flipped the page, "I think it's Latin."

Jess nodded, "so do I. He's put a few notes in the margins. They're also in Latin. Sam is fluent. I bet he could carry a conversation in the language."

Upon hearing this, Luke finally decided to join the discussion. He glanced between Jess and the book before settling his gaze on the book and asking, "So why would anyone be fluent in a dead language?"

Jess shrugged, "educational purposes usually. In this case I'm not so sure."

"Jess," Rory said, sounding a little confused, "this page is in Greek and there are notes in the margins. There are also a few pages in a language that I've never seen before." 

Jess took the book and began looking through it hastily. Rory was right, there were at least three different languages in the book. He also thought he saw a page or two in Hebrew, but he couldn't find them now. 

He sighed and closed the book, "I think there's more to Sam Winchester than we saw tonight. Either he's extremely smart or he's studied more than just Law. It doesn't really matter, though. I'm going to return this book to him tomorrow. I'll also ask him about the languages."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam entered Luke's diner around 6:30 am. He had woken up early and decided to go for a run. It was purely coincidental that the diner happened to be open. Luke didn't seem like the type of person to open the diner so early, but it wouldn't surprise Sam.

What would - and did - surprise Sam was Jess being awake and working at such an early time. Jess had always seemed a bit lazy. Then again, people changed as they got older. If Sam remembered anything from his time spent as Dean Forester, the people of Stars Hollow probably didn't recognize him at all as Sam Winchester.

Jess looked up as Sam entered the diner. Sam prepared himself for the inevitable fight, but it never came. Instead, Jess just looked at him with wide eyes. 

Time seemed to freeze for a few moments before Jess finally opened his mouth to speak. Sam suspected that Jess had finally found a snarky comment, but all he said was, "I'm surprised to see you here this early. You never struck me as an early riser."

Sam chuckled and approached the counter, "yeah, well I wasn't an early riser when we last met, but, you know, people change. Besides, I never would've thought you'd be an early riser either." 

Jess scoffed, "yeah, people change - hell, I've changed - but people don't usually change as much as you have. Not unless they've experienced something seriously insane. I've always had troubles sleeping, but in the past I would just lay in bed for a few hours instead of getting up and doing something. You, on the other hand, have always been fairly productive. Lazy has never been a word I'd use to describe you. I think there's more to your story than what you shared at the town meeting. Obviously I can't force you to share, but I want to know the complete truth." 

Sam sighed as Jess bent down to grab something from the shelves behind the counter. "Jess," he began before freezing when he saw what Jess was holding in his hands: Sam's book. 

"You see Sam, as hard as you try to pretend Sam Winchester and Dean Forester were two different people, they aren't and never have been. They have different names and Dean seemed a little more like a normal human instead a a television protagonist, but they're still the same person. They're both you. Since I first met you, when you were calling yourself Dean, I've always known that you were smarter and more interesting than you seemed," Jess paused with a smirk, "but this? This is something else. I mean, I can understand knowing a few languages considering how much you've moved around, but I counted at least seven in this book. Two stood out as especially odd. Latin? Really? Now, that's just insane, but somehow, it wasn't the strangest. Do you know which one I'm talking about, Sam?" Sam nodded. "Good, so what language is it? What language could it possibly be and why do you seem to know it?"

Sam sighed in defeat and moved to sit at one of the tables, motioning for Jess to follow. 

"You're not gonna believe me," he said as they sat down. Jess didn't reply. Instead, he nodded for Sam to continue. Sam sighed, "you can't tell anyone about this." Jess nodded again and Sam opened the book to the pages he guessed Jess was referring to. "This is written in Enochian. Very few beings on earth know of it and even fewer can speak it. It's the language of angels."

Jess stared at him for a few moments before saying, "you mean in the metaphorical sense? Like it's said to be really beautiful or something."

Sam shook his head, "um, you're not gonna believe me and you're gonna think I'm crazy, but I really need you to not freak out." Jess nodded. "I mean in the literal sense. As in, this is the language spoken by angels in heaven. My brother can't speak it, but he didn't spend a year and a half - which, by the way, is much longer in hell - trapped with two archangels. Plus, he never really enjoyed learning new languages." 

Jess scoffed, "you're right, I do think you're crazy, but I guess I'm just crazy enough to want to know more. Assuming, for a moment, that you're not crazy, I don't think you told the whole truth at the town meeting. I want to hear the whole truth and see any proof you have. Then I'll decide if you're crazy or just a really unlucky son of a bitch."

Sam chuckled and nodded, "alright, I guess, but this might take a while. Why don't we go to my hotel room and I'll tell you as much as I can." 

Jess shrugged, "fine, but I'm bringing a change of clothes because I'm guessing this could take most of the night and we need beer and pizza."

Sam chuckled before agreeing and Jess found himself momentarily stunned. He'd forgotten how beautiful Dean, or Sam, had been when he smiled. Jess remembered thinking he was adorable when he got mad, but seeing him smile now was like seeing the sun shine through the clouds. Looking back at their time together when they were kids, Jess suddenly wasn't so sure his obsession with making the unnaturally tall boy mad had anything to do with Rory. He was beginning to suspect he just had an obsession with Dean Forester and it might be back for Sam Winchester. 

Shaking himself out of his daze, Jess realized that Sam had already left. He ran home and grabbed a toothbrush and change of clothes before picking up beer and pizza and making his way to the hotel. As he walked, he prayed that Sam wouldn't turn out to be some sort of serial killer.


End file.
